The Christmas Proclamation:

The twenty-fifth day of December.

In the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world
from the time when God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth;

the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood;

the two thousand and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham;

the one thousand five hundred and tenth year from Moses
and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt;

the one thousand and thirty-second year from David’s being anointed king;

in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;

in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;

the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome;

the forty second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus;

the whole world being at peace,

in the sixth age of the world,

Jesus Christ the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,
being conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and nine months having passed since his conception,

was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary,
being made flesh.

The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

O God, who have made this most sacred night
radiant with the splendor of the true light,
grant, we pray, that we, who have known the mysteries of His light on earth,
may also delight in His gladness in Heaven.
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(Opening Prayer from Mass)

Readings (Mass at Midnight):
Isaiah 9:1-6 (the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light)
Psalm 96:1-3, 11-13 “Today is born our Savior, Christ, the Lord”
Titus 2:11-14 (God’s grace trains us to reject sin while we anticipate Jesus’ Second Coming)
+ Luke 2:1-14 (the nativity and announcement to the shepherds)

He’s HERE!

A blaze of glory shatters the night.
The heavenly host (angelic army!)
glorifies the newborn King,
announcing peace to those in whom He delights–
those whose will is good.

Judgment and justice undergird His throne.
Even by His lowly birth,
Jesus begins the process of training us
to reject godless ways and worldly desires,
to live temperately, justly and devoutly,
delivered from lawlessness, purified,
eager to do what is good (see Titus 2:11-14).

He draws us to greatness,
to the heights of the nobility for which He created us–
heroism that does not stoop to self-serving,
that sets its sights on things above (see Colossians 3:2),
loving justice and right judgment for their sheer goodness.

His Kingdom, full of such holy citizens,
is vast
and forever peaceful.

Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law
-Romans 13:10

Those whose will is good not only have no desire to do evil,
they’re eager to do good!

What if everyone were like that?
Humble, joyful, totally self-giving,
eager to do what is good…

That’s Heaven.

It starts here…today…with you.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!
-Isaiah 9:6

REJOICE!

Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus,
and do not delay,
that those who trust in Your compassion
may find solace and relief in Your coming.
Who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Readings (Mass in the morning):
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16 (God will establish a house for David forever)
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29 “For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord”
+ Luke 1:67-79 (Zachariah’s song at John’s birth)

King David had a dream…
but God’s dream was far greater!

David, finally at rest in the splendor of his royal palace,
had finally, jubilantly, processed the age-old tabernacle
–the focal point of God’s Presence among His people–
to his capital city.
He dreamed of a glorious temple,
fit for the supreme majesty of the Almighty.

He had the right idea.

The Lord said to him,
‘In wishing to build a temple to My honor, you do well”
-I Kings 8:18

And God did permit him to accumulate great treasures
and to design detailed blueprints
–down to the amount of gold to be used in each golden bowl!–
toward the building of this house
(see I Chronicles 22:1-5, 14-15, 28:11-19).
God inspired David to build the temple,
down to the last detail,
in his mind.

And when, some 600 years later,
the returning exiles neglected the house of God
in favor of their own fancy homes,
there was a price to pay:

You expected much, but it came to little;
and what you brought home, I blew away.
For what cause? says the Lord of hosts.
Because My house lies in ruins,
while each of you hurries to his own house.
-Haggai 1:6

God does value a physical house here on earth
where His people may come to worship Him!

All the same,

the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands
-Acts 7:48

In building a house (dynasty) for David,
God was, in fact, preparing the only house that would be truly fit for Himself:

He has raised up for us a mighty Savior
born of the house of His servant, David
-Luke 1:69

He was building the “house,” the womb, of the Immaculate…
His dream house.

This was the house, the temple,
whose presence had just graced the house of Zachariah for three months!
(see Luke 1:56)
Like King Solomon at the dedication of the first temple (see I Kings 8:22ff),
Zachariah, his tongue finally loosed, burst forth in praise!

And that was just the beginning.
God’s dream expands with every new soul He creates!

Whoever loves Me will keep My word,
and My Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him
-John 14:23 (emphasis added)

Do you not know that you are the temple of God
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God,
which you are,
is holy.
-I Corinthians 3:16-17 (emphasis added)

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God,
and that you are not your own?
-I Corinthians 6:19 (emphasis added)

When we say,

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof
-Invitation to Communion, Roman Missal, Third Edition

that’s not just poetry!

Behold I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will enter his house and dine with him,
and he with Me.
-Revelation 3:20

No, we are not worthy!
But Jesus is knocking.
He wants to enter into us, worthy or not!
He wants to live in His holy temple…you.

That’s the stunning truth of Christmas.
Whether your soul is a cold, smelly stable
or a spiritually pristine palace
you’re God’s dream house.
He’s at your door.
He’s knocking to come in.
At His Word, with your permission, your soul shall be healed.

You can find his story here.

Here’s the final O Antiphon:
O Emmanuel,
God-with-us,
Our King and Lawgiver,
The Awaited one of the peoples
And their Savior
Come to save us, O Lord, our God

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign.
Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son
and his name shall be called Emmanuel.

(see also Matthew 1:22)

Almighty ever-living God,
as we see how the Nativity of Your Son
according to the flesh draws near,
we pray that to us, Your unworthy servants,
mercy may flow from Your Word,
who chose to become flesh of the Virgin Mary
and establish among us His dwelling,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Readings:
Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 (God will send His messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah)
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14 “Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand”
+ Luke 1:57-66 (the birth and naming of St. John the Baptist)

The herald’s made his entrance!

Even as an infant he’s setting all the countryside astir.
They rejoice:

Elizabeth’s…neighbors and relatives…rejoiced with her
-Luke 1:58

They marvel:

[Zachariah] signaled for a writing tablet and wrote the words,
“His name is John.”
This astonished them all
-Luke 1:63

They fear:

Fear descended on all in the neighborhood;
throughout the hill country of Judea
-Luke 1:65

They ponder:

these happenings began to be recounted to the last detail…
What, then will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him
-Luke 1:65-66

This is not the time for “life as usual”!
There’s work to be done!

Gold and silver are tarnished, unfit for the King,
banners and robes, soiled and stained–
embarrassment before His Majesty’s all-pure gaze!

But our own efforts have been fruitless.
Scrub and polish as we might,
the stubborn spots remain.

God’s herald steps to our side,
refining fire ablaze,
launderer’s stain-removers in his hand.

He brings God’s power to bear where we have failed.

he will purify the sons of Levi,
refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by
-Malachi 3:3-4

The sons of Levi are the priests
and those set apart to serve God’s holy place (see Exodus 32:29, Numbers 18:1-6).
Through Baptism, we share in Christ’s universal priesthood
(see Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1591-1592).

God’s power purifies us.

The Church is the new Jerusalem
(see Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 757),
offering “due sacrifice to the Lord,” pleasing to the Lord:
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass…Christ’s Mass.

Christmas.

Our purification comes through the Sacrament of Baptism
–a Baptism much more powerful than John’s (see Luke 3:16)–
and through the Sacrament of Confession.

As we pass through the flames, the bath,
once-tarnished gold and silver gleam.
Once-filthy rags, now brilliant white (see Isaiah 64:5, Revelation 19:8)
adorn God’s Bride.

This is the wedding day of the Lamb;
His Bride has made Herself ready
-Revelation 19:7

When you took on flesh, Lord Jesus,
you made a marriage of mankind with God.
-Monday, Evening Prayer, Week II

The herald’s at your service.
What’s stopping you?

Here’s today’s O Antiphon:
O King of the Gentiles
And their desired One
Cornerstone who binds two into one
Come and save man
Whom You fashioned from the dust of the earth

Isaiah 2:4:
And he shall judge the Gentiles,
and rebuke many people

(see also Psalm 2:7-8, Ephesians 2:11-13, 20-21, Genesis 2:7)

O God, who, seeing the human race fallen into death,
willed to redeem it by the coming of Your Only Begotten Son,
grant, we pray,
that those who confess His Incarnation with humble fervor
may merit His company as their Redeemer.
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Readings:
I Samuel 1:24-28 (as soon as he’s weaned, Hannah brings Samuel to the temple to give him to God)
I Samuel 2:1, 4-8 (Hannah’s song) “My heart rejoices in the Lord, my Savior”
+ Luke 1:46-56 (Mary’s Magnificat)

Like the first light of morning that foretells the sun’s rising,
our King’s joy precedes His appearance
through the heart of His mother.

Unable to contain the jubilation of the Child within her womb,
she exclaims,

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my savior
-Luke 1:46

Like Hannah of old (see I Samuel 2:1-10),
Mary celebrates the fruits of God’s joyful love:

His mercy is from age to age to those who fear Him.
He lifts up the lowly
(and casts down the bullies so they’re no longer a threat).
He fills the hungry–with good things.
He helps His servant, remembering His mercy,
according to His ancient promise (see Luke 1:50-56).

She, like the vindicated Hannah,
is already experiencing these blessings herself!

my spirit rejoices in God my savior
for He has looked upon His handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty has done great things for me
-Luke 1:47-49

He as taken a handmaid and made her His queen
–through the gift of holy motherhood.

This is the child for whom I prayed
-I Samuel 1:27

Like Hannah, Mary does not keep her joy to herself.
Hannah gave her son to God,
to the service of the temple, to all Israel
as a glorious prophet (see I Samuel 1:22-28).
Mary, too, gave her Son to God (see Luke 2:22-37),
to His public ministry, Passion and Death, to all the world,
as our Savior.

This gift has come down to us
through the loving hands of Holy Mother Church
(of whom Mary is exemplar, see Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 967, 972).

whoever does the will of My heavenly Father
is brother and sister and mother to Me
-Matthew 12:50

Jesus’ joy must precede Him still,
a predawn radiance announcing His imminence,
through our hearts.

The gift you have received,
give as a gift
-Matthew 10:8

May we, like Hannah, like Mary,
rejoice in the One Who has done great things for us
shining as stars in a darkened world,
holding forth to it the word of life
(see Philippians 2:15).

You can find his story here.

Here’s today’s O Antiphon:
O Rising Dawn,
Splendor of eternal light
And Sun of justice
Come to give light to those sitting in darkness
And in the shadow of death

Revelation 22:16:
I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things concerning the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.

(see also Isaiah 9:1, John 8:12 & 12:46, Psalm 19:6-7)

Hear in kindness, O Lord,
the prayers of Your people,
that those who rejoice
at the coming of Your Only Begotten Son in our flesh
may, when at last He comes in glory,
gain the reward of eternal life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Readings:
Song of Songs: 2:8-14 (my Beloved comes to me and calls me to come away with Him)
or Zephaniah 3:14-18 (Rejoice! The God who saves you delights in you)
Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21 “Cry out with joy to the Lord, you holy ones; sing a new song to Him”
+ Luke 1:39-45 (the Visitation)

Those little children on Christmas morning are onto something.

Our King can hardly wait!

Like a small child bounding gleefully toward the tree on Christmas morning despite any obstacle,
so God bounds joyfully toward us across any hills or mountains that might get in His way.

Hark! my lover–here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills
-Song of Songs 2:8

Rising, Mary, in those days,
went with haste
into the hill country of Judah.
-Luke 1:39 (emphasis added)

She didn’t travel alone!
Hidden within those words is our King,
nestled in Mary’s womb,
rising, hastening over the hills with the exuberance of love.

He’s excited to be here!
Never mind tall buildings–our God springs over mountains to get to us!
He can’t wait for the mountains to be leveled, the hills smoothed down.
He leaps right over them.

For the sake of the joy which lay before Him
He endured the cross,
heedless of its shame
-Hebrews 12:2

Heedless…of the mountains of agony, shame, and even death
–He scarcely even noticed–
for the sake of the joy which lay before Him…

That joy is you!

He will rejoice over you with gladness…
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals
-Zephaniah 3:17

God’s love is not some abstract, stagnant, vague wish on your behalf.
He’s passionate!
He comes running to sweep you off your feet,
to swing you around the room for the sheer joy of it!

He longs for you to leap into His arms in an answering surge of joy.

Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
-Song of Songs 2:13

Shout for joy…!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart…!
-Zephaniah 3:14

There’s really no room for a half-hearted response here.
No, “Well, I suppose maybe…let me think about it…”

Are you in or aren’t you?!

St. John the Baptist got it right:

The moment your greeting sounded in my ears,
the baby leapt in my womb for joy
-Luke 1:44

The Blessed Virgin seconded him:

my spirit rejoices in God my savior
-Luke 1:47

(The word she uses for “rejoice”
comes from two root words meaning “much” and “to jump for joy.”)

Those little children on Christmas morning are onto something.

Our King can hardly wait!

Neither should we!

(The good news is that we don’t have to
–He comes to us every day in every Mass–
just as eagerly as He comes on Christmas morning!)

Here’s today’s O Antiphon:

O Key of David
And Scepter of the house of Israel
What You open, no one shuts
What You shut, no one opens
Come, deliver from the chains of prison
Those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death

Isaiah 22:22:
And I will lay the key of the house of David
upon his shoulder:
and he shall open, and none shall shut:
and he shall shut, and none shall open.

(see also Isaiah 9:6, 42:7, Revelation 3:7)

O God, eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word
the immaculate Virgin received through the message of an Angel
and so became the dwelling-place of divinity,
filled with the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant, we pray, that by her example
we may in humility hold fast to Your will.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(Opening prayer from today’s Mass)

Readings:
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14 (a virgin shall bear a son and name him Emmanuel)
Psalm 24:1-6 “Let the Lord enter; He is King of Glory”
+ Luke 1:26-38 (the Annunciation)

Now that the herald’s on his way, we look to the King Himself.

He’s got a problem.

It’s us.

It’s not our weaknesses and limitations.
He can handle those.

nothing is impossible to God
-Luke 1:37

His problem is our strength–more to the point,
it’s our insistence on relying on our own strength instead of His!

What limits God is not His own love,
but our willingness to accept His love.
It has been aptly said,
“It is not our misery that gets in God’s way,
but our importance.”
-Fr. Bartholomew Gottemoller

The whole point of our King’s coming is to rescue us, to benefit us, to fulfill us.
But we have to let Him.

That’s where King Ahaz, black sheep of the house of David, went wrong.
He had no use for God whatsoever.
If he heard of an idol, he worshipped it, even immolating his sons by fire (II Chronicles 28:2-4).
When the Arameans defeated him, he worshiped their gods.

Since it was the gods of the kings of Aram who helped them,
I will sacrifice to them that they may help me also
-II Chronicles 28:23

To add insult to injury, he set up this pagan altar in God’s holy temple (see II Kings 16:10-13)
and plundered the temple of its gold and silver in payment to his allies (II Chronicles 28:21).
He would rather rob God and trust men
–and even trust their gods!–
than submit to God and honor Him.

Yet God kept pursuing this clueless king.
He allowed disasters to strike as a wake-up call (II Chronicles 28:5).
He showed mercy by ordering the conquering army of Israel
to return the captives they’d taken from Judah (II Chronicles 28:15).
God even sent the prophet Isaiah to personally challenge Ahaz
to put Him to the test (Isaiah 7:11).

Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God;
let it be as deep as the nether word, or high as the sky!
-Isaiah 7:11

Ahaz refused,
much to God’s disgust:

Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary men,
must you also weary my God?
-Isaiah 7:13

He was as steadfast in his rejection of God
as God was steadfast in His love of Ahaz.

Even so, God would not be outdone.
Unable to rescue Ahaz from himself,
He would still demonstrate His steadfast love for His people
through a Son, born of a virgin,
whose very name would proclaim that God was with them (Isaiah 7:14).

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures for ever
-Psalm 136:1

Roughly 700 years later God again approached the house of David,
in the person of the Virgin of the prophesy.
Her weaknesses and limitations,
far from being obstacles,
were the very vehicle God used for our salvation.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God
-Luke 1:35

With her “fiat”,
the steadfast love of God
in the Person of the Holy Spirit
overshadowed her.
The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity
took on flesh in her womb.

The blessing King Ahaz rejected
Mary enfleshed.

All Heaven rejoiced!

This same King is coming to you.
Your misery is no problem.
Your self-reliance is.

May the humble Virgin of Nazareth
inspire whole-hearted receptivity to God’s extravagance
…to Heaven’s delight!

O Root of Jesse
Who stands as a sign for the people,
Before Whom kings silence their mouths,
With Whom all nations shall plead
Come to set us free without delay

Isaiah 11:10:
In that day the root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
the Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Jesse was the father of King David (see Ruth 4:17, among others),
the “root”, of David’s dynasty, which God promised would last forever (I Chronicles 17:11-14).
Since the world will come to an end, only Jesus could fulfill this promise;
Jesus, the Son of David who is King forever.
(see also Isaiah 11:1, Micah 5:1, Romans 15:12, Revelation 5:5 & 22:16)

O God, who through the child-bearing of the holy Virgin
graciously revealed the radiance of Your glory to the world,
grant, we pray,
that we may venerate with integrity of faith
the mystery of so wondrous an Incarnation
and always celebrate it with due reverence.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Readings:
Judges 13:2-7, 24-25 (announcement of the conception of Samson)
Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17 “Fill me with Your praise and I will sing Your glory!”
Luke 1:5-25 (announcement of the conception of St. John the Baptist)

The story continues…

The King is on the move!

He stirs forth from His holy dwelling
-Zechariah 2:17

The King needs a herald
… more accurately, we need a herald!
When a dignitary is about to show up on your doorstep
it helps to have some warning
–and help in preparing for his arrival!

God meets our need–and He doesn’t do things by halves!
He sends His best.

Amen, I say to you, among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist
-Matthew 11:11

This herald, like the mighty Samson who foreshadowed him,
was miracle child,
born of barren parents (Judges 13:3, Luke 1:7, 13),
consecrated to God from the womb (Judges 13:5, Luke 1:15),
filled with the Holy Spirit (Judges 13:25, Luke 1:15),
and destined to begin the deliverance of Israel (see Judges 13:5, Luke 1: 16-17).

His message is clear.
He calls us to an experience of Confession…

At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him
and were baptized by him in the Jordan River,
confessing their sins
-Matthew 3:5-6

…that changes our lives:

Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance…
Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise…
Do not practise extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.
-Luke 3:8, 11, 14

There’s not much point in simply changing the externals for this coming King.
Just shoving our junk in the closets
and putting a fresh coat of whitewash over things isn’t going to cut it.

The Lord searches all hearts
and understands all the mind’s thoughts
-I Chronicles 28:9

Nothing is concealed from Him;
all lies bare and exposed
to the eyes of Him to whom we must render an account
-Hebrews 4:13

Thank God He’s merciful!

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him,
for He knows how we are formed;
He remembers that we are dust
-Psalm 103:13-14

…but that qualifier is key: “on those who fear Him“
–not the fear of a slave avoiding punishment,
but the fear of a son who wants to please his beloved father
and is afraid of botching it.

For this King is our Father:

For a Child is born to us, a Son is given us;
upon His shoulder dominion rests.
They name Him Wonder-counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace
-Isaiah 9:5 (emphasis added)

In other words, we have to try.
We have to care.

That’s where St. John the Baptist comes in…
or in our own day, a good confessor
who can help us uncover the hidden weaknesses in our own hearts
and overcome them
so that we will be prepared to meet the Lord’s penetrating, compassionate gaze
with love.

Today we get to celebrate the Golden Mass!
Once celebrated on Advent’s Ember Wednesday,
it now only comes around every third year,
on the fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle B.

This Mass celebrates the golden mystery of our faith:
the Incarnation,
when Heaven was first wedded to earth
in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In medieval times, the first letters of this Mass were written in gold
–sometimes the entire Mass–
and golden vestments were worn.

This ancient liturgy was also the origin of the Angelus,
the prayer of the Annunciation prayed morning, noon and night:

The Angelus
V: The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary
R: And she conceived by the Holy Spirit
Hail Mary…

V: Behold the handmaid of the Lord
R: Be it done unto me according to Thy word
Hail Mary…

V: And the Word became flesh
R: And dwelt among us
Hail Mary…

V: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee O Lord, thy grace into our hearts,
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son
was made known by the message of an angel
may, by His Passion and Cross,
come to share in the glory of His resurrection.
Through this same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(Note the similarity with the opening Prayer from Mass)

Come, let us worship!

Today’s Antiphon:
O Lord of Lords
And Leader of the house of Israel
Who appeared to Moses in the bush’s flaming fire,
And gave to him the Law of Sinai
Come stretch out Your mighty hand to set us free

Revelation 17:14:
They will fight against the Lamb but the Lamb will conquer them,
for He is the Lord of Lords

(see also Isaiah 11:4-5, 33:22, Genesis 3, Exodus 3, Exodus 19-20, Deuteronomy 10:17,
I Timothy 6:16, Psalm 136:3, Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:6)

Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord,
Your grace into our hearts,
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Your Son
was made known by the message of an Angel,
may by His Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(Opening prayer from Mass)

Readings:
II Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16 (God will establish David’s kingdom forever)
Psalm 89 “Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord”
Romans 16:25-27 (Jesus is the mystery hidden for many ages, but now revealed to us)
+ Luke 1:26-38 (the Annunciation)

Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before Me;
your throne shall stand firm forever
-II Samuel 7:16

There’s only one way God could fulfill that promise to King David.
God had to inherit David’s throne Himself.

How do they claim that the Messiah is the Son of David?
For David himself in the Book of Psalms says:
The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.’
Now if David calls him ‘lord,’
how can he be his son?
-Luke 20:41-43

How indeed–except by God becoming man, born of the house of David?!

That’s exactly what happened.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you [Mary],
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
-Luke 1:35

the Lord God will give Him the throne of David his father,
and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of His kingdom there will be no end.
-Luke 1:32-33

God has become Man.
He has inherited the throne of David.
His Kingdom will have no end.

This is the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings
and, according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-26).

This is the inexhaustible truth whose depths we will never fully plumb,
no matter how deeply we mine them for divine treasure;
the truth God has now revealed to all nations
that we might take our rightful place within His holy Kingdom
and be saved.

How does one do that?
When crowds asked St. Peter that very question on the day of Pentecost, he replied,

Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the Name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
-Acts 3:38

Baptism brought them into the community of the Church,
God’s holy Kingdom,
where

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles
and to the communal life,
to the breaking of the bread
and to the prayers.
-Acts 3:42

As Baptized Catholics we devote ourselves to these same things today
via the four pillars of the Catechism:
1) The Profession of Faith (the teaching of the Apostles),
2) The Celebration of the Christian Mystery
(the Sacraments, chief of which is “the breaking of the bread,” a.k.a. the Mass),
3) Life in Christ (the communal life, which is by necessity the moral life)
4) Christian Prayer

Just as the Incarnation itself was only made possible
by the collaboration between God and man…

Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Thy word
-Luke 1:38

…so our life within Jesus’ Kingdom
is only made possible by our collaboration with the King
through those He’s left in charge until He returns in glory.

you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church…
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.
-Matthew 16:18-19

Whoever listens to you listens to Me.
-Luke 10:16

May our response humbly echo the Virgin of the Angelus…

Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Thy word

…that the Word may become Flesh in our lives as well
in the Kingdom that has no end.

Today, we begin a period called the “golden nights”, the final count-down to Christmas,
during which we pray the O Antiphons–they all begin with “O” and are antiphons (responses)
to the Magnificat (Mary’s song of praise: Luke 1:46-55).
These antiphons were originally composed at least 1000 years ago
for use during Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours,
the prayer that priests and Religious promise to pray every day
(laypeople are encouraged to pray it too).
These antiphons are also used as the Alleluia verse during Mass during these count-down days.
In the O Antiphons we call Jesus by titles given to Him in the prophesies of Isaiah
and plead with Him to come and save us.

In Latin, the initials of the titles of Jesus used in the O Antiphons, when read backwards,
form an acrostic for the Latin “Ero Cras” which means “Tomorrow I come”
(which will be true the night before Christmas Eve,
when we will have prayed all of these antiphons).
These titles for Christ are: Sapientia (Wisdom), Adonai (Lord), Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse),
Clavis David (Key of David), Oriens (Morning Star), Rex Gentium (King of the Gentiles),
Emmanuel (God-With-Us).
These antiphons are also found in the song, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”.

In the home, the O Antiphons could be prayed together around the Advent wreath
when you light the candles (if you don’t have an Advent wreath,
lighting any candle while you pray helps set the atmosphere).
For a longer prayer, you could pray the O Antiphon before and after the Magnificat,
the way it’s prayed during Evening Prayer.
You could also make symbols for the antiphons to use in decorating
(oil lamp, burning bush, key, stump with shoot, rising sun, etc.)

Here’s today’s antiphon:

O Wisdom
Who issued from the mouth of the Most High,
Reaching out mightily from end to end,
And ordering all things tenderly
Come to teach us the way of prudence.

Note the relationship with the following verses:

Isaiah 11:2-3:
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding,
the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude,
the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness.
And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord

(see also Isaiah 28:29, Sirach 24:2-3 & Wisdom 8:1.)

A shift in the readings of Advent begins today too.
From here on our Gospels will be dealing more directly
with the events immediately leading up to Jesus’ birth.

O God, Creator and Redeemer of human nature,
who willed that your Word should take flesh
in an ever-virgin womb,
look with favor on our prayers,
that your Only Begotten Son,
having taken to himself our humanity,
may be pleased to grant us a share in his divinity.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(Opening Prayer from today’s Mass)

Readings:
Genesis 49:2, 8-10 (Jacob’s blessing of Judah, ancestor of Jesus)
Psalm 72: 3-4, 7-8, 17 “Justice shall flourish in His time and fullness of peace forever”
+ Matthew 1:1-17 (genealogy of Jesus)

The story of Jesus begins at the beginning,
even by human standards.

Even before Adam fell, Jesus was present within him
…in seed form…
seed that would be passed down generation by generation in an unbroken line
until He sprang forth in all His glory
in the fullness of time (see Galatians 4:4).

Today’s readings don’t go quite that far back
(although Luke’s genealogy, written for a Gentile audience, does, see Luke 3:23).
Matthew, writing for Jews, only goes back to Abraham, Father of the Jewish race,
to whom God had promised land, countless descendants and worldwide blessing
(see Genesis 12:2-3; 15:5, 18; 23:15-18).
Generation by generation St. Matthew lists the familiar names (and some not quite so familiar).
For his audience, grown up on these stories from childhood,
bells must’ve rung.

“Isaac, of course I know him–the miracle baby whose name means ‘laughter’
because his aged parents laughed at the very idea of having a son (see Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-3),
and whom God commanded be sacrificed
–only to be rescued at the last moment–
as a test of Father Abraham’s love for God (see Genesis 22).

“Then his son, Jacob, who tricked his brother out of the birthright (see Genesis 25:27-34; 27),
was renamed ‘Israel’ when he wrestled with an angel all night (see Genesis 32:23-29),
and fathered our twelve tribes (see Genesis 29:31-30:24, 35:16-18).

“And of course, Judah, his son, and leader of the twelve,
was promised a royal dynasty,
symbolized by the lion, the king of beasts (see Genesis 49:8-10).

“Perez, well, that’s not a story we like to think about, but God permitted it! (see Genesis 38)

“The next few don’t show up much–just in lists of names,
although Nashon is listed as prince of the tribe of Judah and assistant to Moses
during the exodus (see Numbers 1:7, 2:3)–
but I know Rahab, the harlot who hid the Israelites spies in Jericho (see Joshua 2),
and her son Boaz, who married the praiseworthy Moabitess, Ruth (see Ruth).

“And their son was Obed, father of Jesse, father of the celebrated King David,
in whom the promise of kingship was gloriously realized,
although I don’t like being reminded of his affair with Bathsheba (see II Samuel 11).
Why would God want His king born of an adulteress?!

“And wise King Solomon started so well (see I Kings 3), but tragically fell so far,
his heart turned to idols by his hundreds of foreign wives (see I Kings 11)!

“His son, Rehoboam’s cockiness cost him most of the kingdom (see I Kings12)
and things went downhill from there.

“Some of the kings were good, but there were some real embarrassments–
like Manasseh, who set up prostitution-based idol worship
within God’s holy temple (II Kings 21:4-5, 23:7)!
No wonder God allowed the nation to be conquered and the temple destroyed!

“At least Zerubbabel, governor of Judah after the exile
listened to God and led the rebuilding of the temple
and the reestablishment of sacred worship there (see Haggai 1).

“I lose track after that.
After all the ups & downs
the line of the promise passes to a bunch of nobodies.”

Yet…

For a tree there is hope, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again
and that its tender shoots will not cease.
Even though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the dust,
yet at the first whiff of water it may flourish again
and put forth branches like a young plant.
-Job 14:7-9

St. Matthew is holding out this hope:
a shoot from the stump of Jesse (see Isaiah 11:10),
a new royal son of David (Matthew 1:1).

David! David! David!
he cries with the number fourteen
(Hebrew letters also stand for numbers & the name “David” adds up to fourteen)
And the threefold repetition indicates a superlative–the ultimate David.
The Lion of the tribe of Judah (see Revelation 5:5).
The ultimate King.
The Messiah…at last!

And He’s been with us through everything–
the good, the bad and the ugly.
God never gave up on us.
He keeps His promises…even when we break ours.

May your grace, almighty God,
always go before us and follow after,
so that we, who await with heartfelt desire
the coming of your Only Begotten Son,
may receive your help both now and in the life to come.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(Opening Prayer from today’s Mass)

Readings:
Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8 (My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples)
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8 “O God, let all the nations praise You”
John 5:33-36 (Jesus’ works are a testimony greater than John’s)

God wants you!

And He will go to great lengths to convince you of that.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a foreigner:

Let not the foreigner say,
when he would join himself to the Lord,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from His people”
-Isaiah 56:3

It doesn’t matter if you seem useless:

Nor let the eunuch say,
“See, I am a dry tree”
-Isaiah 56:3

What matters to God is that you believe in Him
enough to join yourself to Him wholly,
to celebrate His sabbath
and keep His covenant (see Isaiah 56:6).

Them I will bring to My holy mountain
and make joyful in My house of prayer
-Isaiah 56:7

The trouble comes when people don’t want to believe in Him
(or more to the point, when they insist on having things their way over His).

Those who should’ve been the best prepared to welcome Jesus
were the very ones He had the most trouble convincing!
The priests and teachers,
the ones who knew the sacred Scriptures backward and forward
–Scriptures that speak of Jesus on every page–
refused to believe
despite the overwhelming evidence for Jesus’ identity.

You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept testimony from any human being,
but I say this so that you may be saved…
But I have testimony greater than John’s.
The works that the Father gave Me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on My behalf that the Father has sent Me.
-John 5:33-34, 36

Everything Jesus did was a fulfillment of prophesy.
The passages these men had been studying since childhood
were coming radically alive before their very eyes!

But they refused to see.

It’s proverbial:

There’s none so blind as those who will not see.

The religious leaders wanted God on their own terms,
–not on His–
which, as creatures and therefore limited,
is the one thing they could not have.

Jesus didn’t give up.
By His death and resurrection and the preaching of the early Church,
He did bring many of them to the faith!

[in Jerusalem] There were many priests among those who embraced the faith
-Acts 6:7

Some of the converted Pharisees then got up…
-Acts 15:5 (emphasis added)

He won’t give up on you either.

He loves you (see I John 4:10).
He wants you (see I Timothy 2:4).
Only He can satisfy your soul (see Psalm 62:1).

What will it take for you to be convinced?